Glenbucket's Regiment 1689-1745

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Described by his contemporaries as: A craggy old man of seventy or more, his body twisted by rheumatism, he was a man of little property, living in Strathbogie, he liked the highlanders and had married his many daughters amongst them. He is described as an inveterate jacobite, he had been out in '89 with Dundee, and in the '15 he commanded a battalion of Gordons at Sherriffmuir. In the '45 uprising he held the rank of Major General, but due to his age and infirmity he did not exercise his rank. Although he did lead his regiment at Culloden, where he is described as sitting at the head of his regiment on a grey highland pony. Despite his age he still had a considerable reputation with the government troops.

In Feb. '46 a raid on Corgarff castle by a government force of 300 foot and 100 dragoons was abandoned due to a rumour that Glenbucket and his men were in the area. Also during the march to Derby, King George is said to have exclaimed in alarm "De great Glenboggit is coming!"

I can find no record of what happened to Glenbucket after Culloden, presumably he was killed in the battle. However it is recorded that his son, also named John Gordon, was amongst the captives taken at Inverness after the battle. He is described as being half blind with drink.

At the battle of Sherriffmuir, when Mar in his usual fashion dithered and prevaricated instead of swooping down on Argyll, winning the battle and not allowing Argyll to re-form and march away safely, Glenbucket was heard to groan: "Oh, for an hour of Dundee!". At the end of the 15, Gordon of Huntly took his contingent including Glenbucket and Gordon of Aboyne to give himself up to the Government represented by General Carpenter, which finally resulted in their reprieve.

The debacle of the 15 tempted even the staunchest Jacobite to come to terms with the Hanoverians. One of the most startling examples for this was Gordon of Glenbucket who as a boy of sixteen had fought at Killiecrankie, as a man of forty-two at Sherriffmuir and as an old man of seventy-two played an active role in the 45 from the first stirrings in Moidart to the final defeat at Culloden. He was the laird of the tiny estate of Glenbuchat in Aberdeenshire near the Banffshire boundary. However, as bailie to the Duke of Gordon he was vastly more influential than the mere size of his property suggests and he has often been regarded as an example of a single-minded paladin of the cause of the exiled Stewarts. In fact, for a very substantial part between the 15 and the 45 he was a Hanoverian agent, being particularly thick with General Carpenter who secured his release from imprisonment in Carlisle in 1716 and who received regular reports from him during the 19 when the Jacobite commander, the Marquis of Tullibardine, in vain hoped Glenbucket would rally again to the standard.

In 1739 an association was formed thanks to the activities of Glenbucket. In his old age, he seems to have reverted to his underlying Jacobitism which probably still existed in the years when he was saving his skin by trafficking with the Hanoverians. In 1737 he sold his tiny property of Glenbuchat for £700 and by 1738 he was with the Pretender in Rome with a demand for the Royal Presence in Scotland, but having failed in Paris on the way to sell the idea of a Franco-Jacobite invasion of Britain to Cardinal Fleury. Though scarcely even a laird, he was an impressive personality and his three daughters were married to significant highland chiefs: Forbes of Skellater, Macdonald of Glengarry, and Macdonnel of Lochgarry. In 1739, more or less as a result of Glenbucket's journey to Rome, a group of Jacobites formed an association to forward the cause. The Associators, as they were known, were a curious crew, being the Duke of Perth (described as "a foolish horse-racing boy), his uncle Lord John Drummond of Fairntoun; Donald Campbell the younger of Lochiel; his uncle Sir John Campbell of Auchenbreck (a rarity among Campbell lairds for his Jacobitism as also for his maybe not unconnected "desperate fortune and little interest"); the Earl of Traquair; his brother the Honourable James Stewart and Simon Fraser Lord Lovat.

Glenbucket received his rank of Major-General from the Prince himself - the rest is history.
Allan Bryan-Tansley.

Some more info I have found (Claudia):

At the battle of Sherriffmuir, when Mar in his usual fashion dithered and prevaricated instead of swooping down on Argyll and winning the battle instead of allowing Argyll to re-form and march away safely, Glenbucket was heard to groan: "Oh, for an hour of Dundee!". At the end of the 15, Gordon of Huntly took his contingent including Glenbucket and Gordon of Aboyne to give himself up to the Government represented by General Carpenter, which finally resulted in their reprieve.

The debacle of the 15 tempted even the staunchest Jacobite to come to terms with the Hanoverians. One of the most startling examples for this was Gordon of Glenbucket who as a boy of sixteen had fought at Killiecrankie, as a man of forty-two at Sherriffmuir and as an old man of seventy-two played an active role in the 45 from the first stirrings in Moidart to the final defeat at Culloden. He was the laird of the tiny estate of Glenbucket in Aberdeenshire near the Banffshire boundary. However, as bailie to the Duke of Gordon he was vastly more influential than the mere size of his property suggests and he has often been regarded as an example of a single-minded paladin of the cause of the exiled Stewarts. In fact, for a very substantial part between the 15 and the 45 he was a Hanoverian agent, being particularly thick with General Carpenter who secured his release from imprisonment in Carlisle in 1716 and who received regular reports from him during the 19 when the Jacobite commander, the Marquis of Tullibardine in vain hoped Glenbucket would rally again to the standard.

The regiment was formed in Oct. 1745. Recruited from men from highland or near highland areas, and from highlanders owing no particular allegiance to any chief.

Glenbucket also recruited from the Duke of Gordon's estates, where he gained a reputation as "A most terrifying press officer", driving in every able bodied man and boy he could find. He also took every horse, not excepting those belonging to the duke. The jacobite authorities demanded that landowners should supply an able bodied man for the army, for every £100 (scots) of landed rent, alternatively they could pay £5 (sterling) in lieu of a man. Allegations were rife at the time that the Jacobites were more interested in getting the money than the recruits. Old John Gordon of Glenbucket however always refused offers of money instead of men.

The original size of the regiment is not known, but at Culloden it is listed as being 200 strong, but by that time it may have been well down on its strength due to losses and desertion, as was the entire Jacobite army.

It is known that the regiment was quite well equipped as, Murray of Broughton recorded that Gordon of Glenbucket's and the first battalion of Lord Ogilvy's were both equipped with arms captured from Cope's army at Prestonpans. But evidence suggests that by the time of Culloden, the entire Jacobite army was armed with French and Spanish muskets to simplify the ammunition supply.

 It is also known that Glenbucket's had at least two cannon, which they used at Ruthven barracks. The regiment seems to have been quite well organised and disciplined, Colonel O'Sullivan, one of the Prince's Irish staff officers, commented that "John Gordon of Glenbucket was the only Scot I ever knew, who was able to start at the hour fixed". 

Not much is recorded about the regiment's history before Culloden. It may have been on the march to Derby, John Gordon himself and the regimental priest certainly were. The first recorded action of the regiment is on the 11th of February 1746, when John Gordon and his regiment, used a couple of guns to persuade lieutenant Molly to surrender Ruthven barracks in return for a safe passage to Perth. Glenbucket then proceeded to burn the barracks. Glenbucket's were not present at the siege of Sterling, or the battle of Falkirk. At this time they were in the north of Scotland, operating against the government's independent highland units.

At the battle of Culloden, Glenbucket's had rejoined the main jacobite army. Originally they stood in the second line at Culloden, but after Lord George Murray ordered the front line of highland regiments to close up to the right, Perth's and Glenbucket's were moved up to the first line to fill the gap which had been created on the left flank. When the Jacobite army advanced both Perth's and Glenbucket's advanced with them, but due to swampy ground and small ponds to their front they were unable to make contact with the enemy. So for most of the battle they engaged in a firefight with the government troops opposite them. Glenbucket's and Perth's suffered relatively few casualties during the battle. When the government dragoons launched their attack, Glenbucket's and Perth's on the left flank were able to hold them off for a short time, presumably helped by the same swampy ground which had stopped their own advance. The dragoons soon by passed the two regiments in search of easier targets. When the general retreat and disintegration of the Jacobite army began, both regiments were able to retire from the field virtually intact and in good order.

Along with the remnants of John Roy Stewart's regiment Glenbucket's and Perth's, escorted Prince Charles from the field for at least part of the way.

There is no record of what happened to Glenbucket's regiment after Culloden, it may have been amongst the units which gathered at Ruthven barracks after the battle, Perth's regiment was there. Whatever happened the regiment was disbanded soon after Culloden, never to be heard of again, (or will it !?).

Some mention is made of Glenbucket's regiment in the records of the trials held in the aftermath of the uprising. In a list of prisoners condemned to death and subsequently reprieved, there are two members of Glenbucket's mentioned. One was John Bennagh, sixteen, he had been pressed into the Prince's service when old Glenbucket went recruiting in Glenmachy, he was reprieved and sentenced to transportation to the Americas, but he died of starvation in prison before he could be taken to a ship. The other was James Gordon, the fifteen year old son of the Laird of Terpersie, he too claimed to have been pressed, but perhaps he did not mind this too much, for his brother was an officer of Glenbucket's, and was later to be hanged for it, and James himself was listed on the muster roll as a Lieutenant of artillery.

He was reprieved, but he spent two years in prison before a transport took him to Jamaica, where Lord Adam Gordon found him twenty years later.

Another member of the regiment mentioned in some books is the regimental priest, Father John Tyrie. In Strathavon when recruiting was taking place, Fathers Grant and Tyrie cast lots to see who would have the honor of going to war with their communicants, Father Tyrie won and went off to march to Derby, armed with prayers and pistols. He is also mentioned at Culloden as "standing in line next to old Glenbucket with sword and targe, when it all ended at Culloden"..